


Remus Lupin - Year One

by themixedmarauder



Series: The Marauders Era - Remus Lupin [1]
Category: Harry Potter - J. K. Rowling
Genre: Gen, Marauders, Marauders Era (Harry Potter), Marauders Friendship (Harry Potter)
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-09-09
Updated: 2020-10-04
Packaged: 2021-03-06 23:08:43
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 3
Words: 3,885
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/26377048
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/themixedmarauder/pseuds/themixedmarauder
Summary: all writing can be found on Instagram @themixedmarauder
Relationships: James Potter/Lily Evans Potter, Sirius Black/Remus Lupin
Series: The Marauders Era - Remus Lupin [1]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1916908
Kudos: 5





	1. The Hogwarts Express

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> for best continuity, read AFTER Severus Snape - "Chapter 1: The Hogwarts Express" and BEFORE "The Sorting Hat" chapters.

Remus clutched onto his trunk as he shuffled down the train corridor, sure to hold the broken clasp shut. He shoved it in the storage, and entered what seemed to be the last empty compartment on the train. He kept the door open for a moment, watching as last minute stragglers ran down the corridor. He couldn’t decide if he wanted someone to join him or not.

When the train started moving, and he was still alone, he shut the door dejected. While people made him nervous, he still would’ve liked some company. His mother had told him to try to make friends, but Remus was worried. He had never had friends before. In fact, the only other children he ever interacted with back home were the ones who picked on him. 

His father had a bit of a different outlook though. Right before Remus had boarded his father pulled him aside, warning him not to get too close to anyone. “We don’t want anyone finding out about your affliction, do we?”

No, he didn’t. He remembered the day Professor Dumbledore had shown up at his little house to tell Remus he would be able to attend Hogwarts. “Professor, I think you’ve made a mistake. I can’t go. I’m a…” Remus hesitated.

“You’re a what?” Dumbledore inquired.

“A werewolf. A monster.” Remus shuttered.

“I see no monster here. Just a young wizard, who seems eager to learn. Do you want to learn magic, Remus?” Dumbledore asked. Remus nodded. “And do you promise to be a good student?”

“Yes, sir.”

“Then there is a place for you at Hogwarts. We have prepared certain accommodations for your condition. You and every student and staff member will be perfectly safe,” Dumbledore assured.

And Remus was excited to go to Hogwarts. All summer he couldn’t stop thinking about it. But now he wasn’t so sure. Yes, Professor Dumbledore promised he and everyone else would be safe. But how could he promise such an absurd thing? The second the train left the platform, Remus wanted to jump off. They made a mistake. He’s sure of it. Even brilliant wizards like Albus Dumbledore make mistakes. Remus was a mistake.

The compartment door slid open, and a red headed girl and a black haired boy entered.

“May we?” The girl asked. You shouldn’t. I’m not someone you want to be near, Remus thought to himself, but nodded and smiled because that was the polite thing to do. And Remus promised to be a good student. This is when he would start.

The two sat down, but kept their distance. They knew. How would they know? They couldn’t possibly. Remus anxiously tugged his sleeves down and his collar up, to hide any visible scars and bruises. But it didn’t seem like the two were paying attention to him. That was for the best.

“Don’t pay attention to those boys Severus. There’s nothing wrong with wanting to be in Slytherin I’m sure,” the girl told the boy.

“I’m not upset. They don’t know what they’re talking about. Those two will be Gryffindors for sure. Not one brain between them. I would be surprised if they weren’t half troll, or worse werewolves,” the boy snarled.

“There’s nothing wrong with half-breeds,” Remus spit out. He was shocked at his own words, but they had a mind of their own. The black-haired boy looked frightened at the attack.

“I’m sure Severus didn’t mean -,” the girl tried to apologize.

“And I'd rather be part of Gryffindor if they’re more tolerant than the likes of you.” The words wouldn’t stop coming out of Remus’s mouth. What had Remus just done? Didn’t he just promise himself he would be good? He was sure they knew. He all but admitted he was a werewolf. Nervous to hear what either of them had to say, Remus jumped up and ran out of the compartment. 

Remus made his way down the corridor, looking for a compartment with space for him. Worse comes to worse, he could just stand in the corridor until they got to Hogwarts. That way, no one would be forced to converse with him.

That would be ridiculous though. People would surely notice a gangly boy just standing in the corridor for hours. He shook that idea aside and entered the next compartment.

Three boys sat there, eating candy and gabbing away. One was Indian with round glasses and untidy hair, one looked half Asian with gelled hair he was trying to unstick from his head, and one was a small blond boy.

“Do you have room for one more?” Remus asked.

“Sit on down!” the bespeckled boy exclaimed. Remus couldn’t help but smile.

“I’m Remus.”

“I’m Sirius,” the Asian boy said. He pointed at the boy with glasses, “This here is James.”

“And I’m Peter,” the blond boy added. “Do you want some?” Peter pointed at the large mounds of candy. Remus nodded and grabbed a Chocolate Frog, taking a bite before it could hop away.

“Can I have the card?” Peter asked. Remus handed it over without hesitation.

“So, the question of the hour is what house you think you’ll be sorted into,” Sirius stated.

“Sirius’s family is all in Slytherin,” James pointed out.

“But I better not be. Evil, the whole lot.” Sirius declared. “I want to be in Gryffindor, with James.”

“You know you’re going to be in Gryffindor?” Remus asked.

“Yep. What about you?” Remus didn’t know how to answer. He might get sorted into Slytherin. He was a werewolf. And everyone says all the bad wizards get sorted there. But should he admit that to these new people? They could be his friends if he didn’t scare them off. 

“With my luck, I’ll be sorted into Slytherin. I’m a terrible person.” Remus’s eyes widened in shock at his own words. Maybe it was his lack of experience talking to people, but words just kept slipping out of his mouth without permission.

“Damn, we just gave our last Chocolate Frog to a terrible Dark Wizard,” Sirius joked, playfully elbowing Remus in the ribs. A laugh escaped Remus’s mouth.

“I know I won’t be in Ravenclaw. I don’t think being a Slytherin would be that bad. I mean being powerful would be nice,” Peter said meekly, eyeing the other boys for approval.

“Anyone from any house can get power. It’s just how they choose to get it. I don’t want to get power through cheating or Dark Arts. I’d rather earn my glory. What matters is your character and your conviction, not what you are born as or what you are given.” James stated boldly. Remus was taken aback. So were the other boys. Maybe James was right. 

Maybe it didn’t matter that he was a werewolf, if he chose to be a good person.


	2. The Sorting Hat

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> all writing can be found on Instagram @themixedmarauder
> 
> for best continuity, read The Sorting Hat chapters in alphabetical order:  
> Sirius Black  
> Lily Evans  
> Remus Lupin  
> Peter Pettigrew  
> James Potter  
> Severus Snape

“Remus Lupin.”

The gangly boy straightened up when his name was called. He knew he must be soon. Edmund Luck had just been sorted into Hufflepuff. What kind of last name is Luck? Remus wished he had a bit of luck every now and then. Right now would be an ideal moment for it.

Remus took a deep breath and walked confidently to the stool. If he wanted to be placed in a good House he had to impress the Hat. A damn Hat. How does one impress a Hat? Remus sure as hell did not know. Professor McGonagall placed the Hat on his head, and Remus closed his eyes tight.

“Peculiar boy.” Remus’s eyes snapped open. He already didn’t like this Hat. Was he peculiar because he was a werewolf, or was he peculiar because of some other God forsaken reason?

Peculiar hat.

“I see there’s quite a tongue on this one. Quite witty. Could be a Ravenclaw.”

My father was a Ravenclaw.

“Ah, but… I don’t believe you are very much like your father.”

So, not Ravenclaw?

“I think not.” Now Remus was nervous. He knew he was bookish, and some would say quite smart. He didn’t admit it to the boys on the train but he thought his best hope would be for Ravenclaw. If not there, he knew where the Hat’s head was going…

Don’t put me in Slytherin. I know you know I’m a werewolf, but I’m not evil. I choose not to be evil. Don’t put me in Slytherin, please. I can prove I’m not a monster.

“No, you are not a Slytherin either. Lycanthropy or not. No, you’re definitely…”

GRYFFINDOR!

Remus let out a sigh of relief, followed quickly by a few anxious hyperventilations. Gryffindor? “Made up of bold blokes”, or whatever that Hat said in the poem. 

Why are we listening to a Hat that makes up poems in its spare time? Why do we take life altering decisions from a Hat at all?

“You will see why Gryffindor is best in due time.” The Sorting Hat let out one last retort before Professor McGonagall took it off Remus’s head. 

She waved him over to the Gryffindor table. When he didn’t move, she waved again - a little less patient this time. 

He got up, walked over to the cheering table, and plopped down next to Lily Evans. 

Wasn’t that the girl whose friend made a joke about Gryffindors being werewolves? I guess I shouldn’t have snapped at him, after all he ended up being right. 

He shook her hand and nodded at the other students. But the look of horror wouldn’t wash off his face, no matter how ecstatic his fellow Gryffindors were acting. 

Fellow Gryffindors. He was a Gryffindor. 

What was he to do now?


	3. The Dorms

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> all writing on my instagram @themixedmarauder
> 
> for best continuity, read AFTER Peter Pettigrew - "Chapter 2: The Dorms" and BEFORE James Potter - "Chapter 4: The Dorms"

“Ok, the girls' dorms are up the stairs to the right. The boys’ are to the left. All your belongings are in your rooms already,” Alice stated. Remus found it difficult to listen in on the instructions the prefects were giving because the red and gold room seemed to be collapsing in on him, their walls as hot as cinders and setting him ablaze.

He was a Gryffindor. 

He wasn’t expecting this - he didn’t even want this. From his conversations with his father, they had agreed this would be the worst House to keep a secret in. The best House would have been Hufflepuff. They’re nice and unassuming. Slytherins are cunning and Ravenclaws are smart, so Remus was sure that if he was sorted there they would find out eventually. 

But Gryffindors were the worst. 

They were nosy. They want to participate in everything and don’t understand personal space. Just look at James - he hugged Remus within a few minutes of knowing him on the train. He then proceeded to ask about a million ice breaker questions that got quite personal near the end of the ride. 

They are also self-righteous gits, and if they think you’re up to something nefarious they start hounding you. And what’s more nefarious than being a werewolf?

And worst of all, Gryffindors are loud-mouths. If one found out, surely everyone in the school would know come the next day. 

Remus felt a pair of eyes on him. He looked to his left and saw Sirius staring - at his hands, his neck, his face. Remus pulled down his sleeves to hide the scars on his hands and made eye contact with Sirius, who looked away immediately. He could tell Sirius was embarrassed for staring because of the blood rushing to his cheeks, and Remus felt guilty. 

Sirius shouldn’t feel embarrassed for getting caught staring, since Remus had been staring at him the entire day. 

Both on the train and in the Great Hall Remus sat across from Sirius, and so his staring most likely didn’t seem obvious, but Remus found it difficult to look away from the boy. He had always thought paintings and sculptures didn’t look like real people, but if there was a person who looked like a work of art it was Sirius. It seemed that no matter what lighting they were in, what expression he was giving, his face could be described as nothing less than beautiful. 

“If that’s all the questions then, go on to bed.” Alice clapped her hands to dismiss the first years.

“Welcome to Gryffindor!” Frank exclaimed.

“I hope we’re all together!” Peter added, looking to James, Sirius, and Remus in excitement.

“Wanna race to the top?” James asked excitedly. 

“Sure!” Peter exclaimed, although Remus could tell racing up seven flights of stairs didn’t intrigue the small boy. Unlike James, who seemed to have boundless energy, Peter looked as exhausted as Remus felt.

“Okay, ready - set - go!” James yelled and bolted up the stairs. Most of the boys followed James, which seemed like it was going to be a trend going forward. 

But Remus couldn’t move. Something petrified him about going up to his room and meeting his roommates - whether they be the three boys from the train or not. He knew he would have to live a lie for the next seven years, and the most difficult people to sell the lie to would be his roommates. So as long as he stood here, in this spot, the lying wouldn’t have to start. The full moon was in five days, and Remus could feel the aches in his bones already but he had yet to think of an excuse to tell his new roommates. 

So he would stand in this spot until he came up with an idea.

What worried him further was that he was unsure if anybody would want to be his friend once they got to know him. He never had friends before, and although he knew it was mostly because his father forbade him from playing with other children, Remus had a sneaking suspicion that he might just not be that likeable of a person. And it was one thing for these people to hate him if they found out about his condition, but what scared him most was if they hated him regardless of it. He had gotten off to a good start with Sirius, James, and Peter but that was small talk. What if they got to really know him and decided they didn’t want to anymore?

Remus looked around the common room and noticed a few stragglers. Lily, the girl who cried in the Great Hall, was talking with another first year girl and Alice. Frank was passed out on the couch. And then there was Sirius.

At first Remus thought maybe Sirius was waiting for him, but then he recognized a similar look of fear on his face. He must be scared too. But why?

Sirius turned to look at Remus and reached out his hand.

“You coming?” Sirius asked. Remus nodded and grabbed Sirius’s hand. He never held another boy’s hand before, but Remus was sure he would never want to let go. Human contact was not in abundance in the Lupin household, and Remus couldn’t describe the amount of comfort this simple gesture gave him. Remus had to remember to thank Sirius for this at some point, because if Sirius hadn’t offered his hand Remus was sure he never would have left the common room. 

They made their way to the top of the tower and found their names on one of the doors:

Sirius Black  
Remus Lupin  
Peter Pettigrew  
James Potter  
Kingsley Shacklebolt

“Looks like we’re together,” Remus stated. Sirius smiled at Remus and opened the door.

“Boys, you’ve made it!” James exclaimed.

The room was chaos. Peter was jumping on his bed, stuffing his face with what looked to be Fizzing Whizzbees. James was flying around on a broomstick and attempting to stand up. The third boy, who must be Kingsley, shared a similar look of terror on his face to Remus. 

Remus saw his beat up trunk near the bed in the back left corner. As he passed the first bed on the left, he noticed the immaculate and immense amount of luggage Sirius seemed to have packed. Remus quickly looked around to see the other boys’ belongings and realized he must have woefully underpacked. Not that he could have packed much more - he didn’t own that many belongings. 

He had packed all the clothes he owned which included and was limited to: five sweaters, three shirts, four trousers, two scarves, a coat, a few pajama sets, and an extra pair of shoes, along with a bunch of underpants and mismatched socks. He had to get his robes, books, and supplies secondhand. His family couldn’t afford all the supplies, so Remus would have to rely on the spare Potions ingredients and the like from the school. His mother splurged and bought him an eagle feather quill, but Remus felt so bad that he snuck a handful of pens into his bag so he wouldn’t wear the quill out too quickly. 

Remus began to unpack in a hurry so as not to bring attention to his lack of things. He looked to his left and saw Sirius glance at him and his belongings, and then proceeded to wildly shove his trunks under his bed and throw another bag of his behind the nightstand. Was he trying to not make Remus feel bad?

“So what team do you support?” James asked the room. Remus looked around and saw no one else was jumping to answer. Remus had been told a dozen times that playing Quidditch was out of the question because of his ailment, but that didn’t make him any less of a fan. Maybe this could be something to bond over.

“I like the Tornadoes,” Remus answered.

“The Tornadoes? Are you from Wales?” James asked. Remus nodded.

“Cool. I’m more of a Chudley Cannons fan but I love the Holyhead Harpies,” James stated.

“The Harpies are an all-witch team,” Peter said, as if that was the punchline to a joke. Remus glared at Peter. While they might not be his team, they were from Wales and Remus was awfully proud to be Welsh. He also found it quite foolish to look down at them solely because they were all witches, especially since they were one of the best teams in the league. Remus bit down his tongue so as to not start an argument. That surely would end the bonding moment.

“Yeah, and they’re amazing,” James defended. Remus relaxed and continued to unpack.

“Who are you writing to?” James asked. Remus looked to Sirius, who the question was directed at, and saw that he had taken out a piece of parchment and a quill.

“My mum. She’ll want to know where I was sorted,” Sirius answered.

“How are you going to break the exciting news?” Peter asked.

“I don’t think they’ll see it as exciting. Like I said on the train, they’re purebloods, and all Slytherins.” Sirius’s voice cracked at the end. That must be why Sirius was scared to come up. Just as Remus was thinking of how to keep a secret from the Gryffindors, Sirius must have been thinking of how to keep the Gryffindors a secret from his family. 

“I’m a pureblood too, and I think my mum will just be happy I wasn’t kicked out immediately!” Peter said. 

“Our families are not the same.” Sirius snapped. Peter fell onto his bed, dropping the candy from his hands. Remus was beginning to get irritated - he had overheard his parents speaking about the blood status issues in the Wizarding World but it seemed like an issue for adults and Remus couldn’t understand why Peter and Sirius were concerning themselves with this. Along with that, Remus knew he wasn’t a pureblood - his mother was a Muggle - and was worried that this too would have to be a secret he was forced to keep.

James flew over to Sirius’s bed, hanging upside down from his broom and motioned for Sirius to hand him the letter.

“I’ll write to them for you - I’ll say, ‘Hello Mrs. Black. This is James Potter. You might recognize the last name as I also hail from a noble and ancient pureblood house. I just wanted to introduce myself and let you know I am Sirius’s roommate, soon to be his best friend. We’re in Gryffindor, which is spectacular. You should be proud. If not, shove off.’ How does that sound?” James joked. Sirius cracked a smile. 

“Great, let me just get that down,” Sirius quipped. 

“I mean, you’re a pureblood. Like from the pureblood family. You don’t have anything to prove. So what if you’re not a Slytherin?” Peter asked.

Remus had had enough and slammed his trunk shut. No, he could understand his wolfish secret, but he would not hide his family. Friends be damned.

“You alright?” James asked Remus.

“I’m a half-blood. Are we going to have a problem?” Remus demanded. 

“Why would we have a problem with that?” James asked. Remus looked to Peter, who shrugged his shoulders. 

“Mate, it’s you who should be having a problem with me. The house of Black has a way of darkening any doorway,” Sirius answered. 

Remus huffed and puffed, but decided to put this issue to rest, slumping down onto his bed. He was too tired to get into a fight. It seemed Remus’s outburst caught Kingsley’s attention, a look of terror reappearing on his face. Just what Remus needed, his roommates to be scared of him. Kingsley crawled into his bed and pulled the covers up past his face. If he wasn’t participating in the conversations before, he definitely wasn’t going to now. 

Sirius turned back to his note, finishing what he was writing and putting the Slytherin scarf Remus caught him hiding away earlier into a parcel.

“I’m going to drop this off to the owlery,” Sirius stated. James jumped off his broom and tossed it to his bed, starting to follow Sirius out the door. 

“Come on boys, off on our first adventure!” James exclaimed. Peter tripped off his bed, and scurried to the door. They looked back at Remus expectantly. 

Remus thought of pulling a Kingsley and hiding under his covers, but decided that if he was going to earn these boys’ trust he would have to participate in their antics as much as possible. He knew he would be out of commission come the weekend, so he hopped off his bed and tagged along. 

At first they were just going to sneak into the Owlery, but then they saw some first year Hufflepuffs climbing the trees by the Black Lake and the boys couldn’t help but join in. 

It was quite a fun time, although Remus’s limbs kept getting tangled in the branches. James kept trying to ask Remus personal questions and all Remus could reply was, “I’d rather not tell you more about myself - I want you guys to like me.”

The three boys found that funny, and Remus pretended to laugh along.

The fun ended when Peter got stuck and James had to carry him down. By the time they snuck back into the castle they couldn’t remember how to get back to Gryffindor Tower. Frank was right - the portraits truly are no help. They pointed them in the wrong direction at least half a dozen times. When they finally got back, it was dawn. 

Remus decided that he would have to earn the boys’ trust another way, because he didn’t think he could last another all-nighter like this.


End file.
